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1989 British Grand Prix
16 July |number = 476 |officialname = XLII Shell Oils British Grand Prix |circuit = Silverstone Circuit |location = Silverstone, Northamptonshire, England |circuittype = Permanent racing facility |lapdistance = 4.778 |laps = 64 |distance = 305.904 |pole = Ayrton Senna |polenation = BRA-1968 |poleteam = |poletime = 1:09.099 |fastestlap = 1:12.017 |fastestlapdriver = Nigel Mansell |fastestlapnation = GBR |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 57 |winner = Alain Prost |winnernation = FRA |winnerteam = |second = Nigel Mansell |secondnation = GBR |secondteam = |third = Alessandro Nannini |thirdnation = ITA |thirdteam = }} The 1989 British Grand Prix, otherwise known as the XLII Shell Oils British Grand Prix, was the eighth round of the FIA Formula One World Championship, staged on the 16 July 1989 at the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire, UK.'British GP, 1989', grandprix.com, (Inside F1 Inc., 2015), http://www.grandprix.com/gpe/rr476.html, (Accessed 19/04/2019) The race would see Alain Prost sweep to victory ahead of home hero Nigel Mansell, amid news that they were to be partners at in . Indeed, the British Grand Prix would be heralded by news of several immediate and future changes to the field, with Derek Warwick returning for . Elsewhere, Michele Alboreto announced that he would be joining from the German Grand Prix onward, while Yannick Dalmas joined in place of Joachim Winkelhock. Qualifying, however, would see little change, with Ayrton Senna beating Prost to pole in their latest duel for top spot on the grid. Mansell was likewise in his familiar position as best of the rest, lining up alongside Gerhard Berger, while Riccardo Patrese claimed fifth ahead of Maurício Gugelmin. The start of the race saw Prost gain the upper-hand off the line, only for Senna to elbow his way back past with a brutal move through Copse. Those two would subsequently pull away from the rest of the field, with Mansell leading the anti-McLaren charge for Ferrari. Elsewhere there would be a scary, and somewhat ironic, near-miss at the back of the field, as Nicola Larini charged out of the pits towards Woodcote. Indeed, as the Italian hit the brakes for the corner he found that FISA president and safety campaigner Jean-Marie Balestre was illegally walking across the circuit, an incident which would undermine the Frenchman's position for the rest of his tenure. Fortunately Larini would avoid the president without issue, leaving him clear to chase down the rest of the field. Out front, meanwhile, Senna would ease ahead of Prost in the lead of the race, while Gerger disappeared into the pits with a gearbox issue. Senna's lead was not to last however, for the Brazilian spun himself out of contention on lap twelve, gifting Prost the advantage. Mansell was hence promoted to second ahead of Thierry Boutsen, although the Belgian was to drop back down the order with a slow puncture. Indeed, the order out front would remain fairly static until the closing stages, when Alessandro Nannini mugged Nelson Piquet for third a few laps from the chequered flag. Prost, meanwhile, was able to control the pace from the front of the field for the rest of the race, and duly cruised across the line to claim his second straight win, and extend his Championship lead to twenty points. Background Alain Prost had moved eleven points clear of teammate Ayrton Senna atop the Championship in France, with the Brazilian having failed to score for a second race in a row. Riccardo Patrese, meanwhile, had inched closer to Senna in third, leaving France five behind Senna, while Nigel Mansell had moved to fourth. Thierry Boutsen, meanwhile, had slipped to fifth ahead of Alessandro Nannini, with 23 drivers on the board. In the Constructors' Championship it was still who led the charge arriving at Silverstone, with the Anglo-Japanese squad having established a 30 point lead. had remained their closest challengers, sat on 35 points, while had gained a little ground in third, 20 behind Williams. , meanwhile, had slipped down to fourth ahead of , with 14 constructors having registered points. Entry List The full entry list for the is outlined below: Practice Overview Qualifying Pre-Qualifying Pre-Qualifying Results The full pre-qualifying results for the are outlined below: Friday Qualifying Saturday Qualifying Qualifying Results The full qualifying results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car to set their best time in that session. *'Bold' indicates a driver's best/qualifying time. Grid ** Gugelmin and Larini would start the race from the pitlane. Race Report Results The full results for the are outlined below: *T Indicates a driver used their test/spare car. Milestones * Gerhard Berger entered his 75th Grand Prix.'1989 British GP', chicanef1.com, (Chicane F1, 2015), http://www.chicanef1.com/racetit.pl?year=1989&gp=British%20GP&r=1, (Accessed 19/04/2019) * Stefano Modena entered his 25th race. * Ayrton Senna recorded the 50th pole position for a car using #1 as its race number. * 38th career victory for Alain Prost.'8. Britain 1989', statsf1.com, (Stats F1, 2014), https://www.statsf1.com/en/1989/grande-bretagne.aspx, (Accessed 19/04/2019) * secured their 76th win as a constructor. ** This was also the 180th podium for a McLaren chassis. ** secured their 48th win as an engine supplier. * recorded their 110th fastest lap as a constructor and engine supplier. ** This was also the twentieth fastest lap for a car using #27 as its race number. Standings A third victory of the campaign for Alain Prost ensured that the Frenchman left Silverstone with 47 points to his name, and a crucial twenty point lead. Ayrton Senna had therefore lost ground in second after another non-score, although he had retained second as Riccardo Patrese also failed to register a points finish. Nigel Mansell, meanwhile, had closed up to the Italian in fourth, while Alessandro Nannini was a point off of Thierry Boutsen in fifth. In the Constructors' Championship it had been another good day for , as their lead once again grew after victory on home soil. They left the UK with 74 points on the board, meaning they were 39 points clear of second placed . A further fourteen point gap then followed before appeared, with and completing the top five at the midway point in the Championship. Only point scoring drivers and constructors are shown. References Images and Videos: * References: Category:Grand Prix articles Category:Grand Prix articles Category:1989 Grands Prix Category:British Grand Prix Category:Formula One races in the United Kingdom